Half-Day Mari Mari Cultural Village from Kota Kinabalu

Start your 4-hour tour with hotel pickup in the morning or afternoon. It's a 20- to 30-minute drive from central Kota Kinabalu to the Mari Mari Cultural Village. On arrival, you will be greeted with a briefing on village customs in preparation for a welcome ceremony.

With your guide, visit the Dusun house for a demonstration on traditional methods of tobacco cutting. As you exit, you will enter another hut specialized for bamboo cooking and montoku (rice wine) processing. Next, head over to the Rungus longhouse and learn how to start a fire without lighters or matches. After watching villagers craft bangles out of rattan, you will be accompanied to the Lundayeh house. Inside, watch how ropes, vests, floors, walls, and more are produced from tree bark.

See people prepare jala (local cake) and pandan juice at the Bajau house. Inside, you'll find an array of ancestral objects, including a decorative bridal parlor for your photo-taking pleasure. At the Murut longhouse, you will be greeted by a chief of this head-hunter’s tribe. After a blowpipe demonstration you have the opportunity to try out traditional dancing on the built-in lansaran, a trampoline-like floor. You can also see a tattooing demo and even get a temporary body tattoo, if you wish.

After you're entertained with a cultural performance on stage, proceed to the souvenir shop to browse the handicrafts or take photo ops in the main hall. Follow up with a delicious meal prepared at the buffet counter. Finish your excursion with return transport to your hotel.